A Keith Bogans Jersey Belongs in the Rupp Arena Rafters

Keith Bogans spent his weekend at the University of Kentucky for his son’s graduation. The former Wildcat shooting guard hung out with Mark Pope and toured the practice facility, paying tribute to his former equipment manager, Bill Keightley.

While his son walked the stage at Rupp Arena, he should’ve looked up to see his No. 10 jersey. It’s still not there and that needs to change as soon as possible.

Keith Bogans is Criminally Underrated

Bogans suited up for the Wildcats from 1999-03. He made an immediate impact right away, averaging 12.5 points per game and earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. He was a double-digit scorer in every single season at Kentucky.

No. 10 was a beacon of consistency for some of Tubby Smith’s best teams at Kentucky. After a rough start to the 2003 season, the Cats responded with one of the most dominant runs in the history of the Southeastern Conference. In the 100th season of Kentucky basketball, the Wildcats went undefeated against SEC foes, winning 23-straight games before the start of the NCAA Tournament. That included a 70-55 win over No. 1 Florida, regarded by many as the most raucous crowd in Rupp Arena history. Bogans had 15 points and 5 rebounds in the win over the Gators.

As memorable as that win was, 12-year-old Nick Roush was even more excited for the rubber match. The Wildcats squeaked out a 69-67 victory in the O’Dome in the regular season finale. As Bogans and Gerald Fitch let the student section hear it after the game, one student threw a plush Florida Gator onto the floor. Bogans punted it into the stands. What a DOG.

Unfortunately, Bogans gets overlooked because he never appeared in a Final Four. In the Sweet 16, he suffered an ankle injury. He was limited against Marquette when Dwyane Wade made history with a triple-double. Bogans ended his career just shy of 2,000 points and is No. 4 on the all-time UK scoring list.

#	Player	Seasons	Games	Points
1	Dan Issel	3	83	2138
2	Kenny Walker	4	132	2080
3	Jack Givens	4	123	2038
4	Keith Bogans	4	135	1923
5	Tony Delk	4	133	1890
6	Jamal Mashburn	3	98	1843
7	Kevin Grevey	3	84	1801
8	Tayshaun Prince	4	135	1775
9	Cotton Nash	3	78	1770
10	Alex Groza	4	120	1744

It’s Time to Hang a No. 10 Jersey

The University of Kentucky is slow to honor its greats. The UK Hall of Fame was created in 2005. It has served as a way to salute great athletes, without giving them a permanent display in a place of prominence. It only exists virtually as a webpage that lists each Hall of Fame class.

Since the creation of the UK Hall of Fame, Kentucky has slowed its roll to honor its greats in the rafters of Rupp. Mike Pratt received the honor posthumously in 2023, Tubby Smith was honored in 2021, and Tony Delk’s No. 00 entered the rafters in 2010. Three people in 20 years? Come on now.

Once a person has been elected to the UK Athletics Hall of Fame, there is a five-year waiting period before consideration of jersey retirement. The decision to retire a jersey is made by the Hall of Fame Committee. Keith Bogans entered the UK Hall of Fame in 2014. It’s well past time to honor one of the greatest scorers in the history of Kentucky basketball.